Cinnamon Nutrition

Cinnamon nutrition facts are astonishing. Would you believe that a mere teaspoon of cinnamon contains 28 mg of calcium, almost one mg of iron, over a gram of fiber, and quite a lot of vitamins C, K, and manganese? It’s true. It also contains about half a gram of “usable” (non-fiber) carbohydrate.

The ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity) assessment developed by the United States Department of Agriculture measures the ability of a substance to disarm harmful free radicals in cells. Free radical theory of aging was conceived by Denham Harman in 1956, and states that an organism age because cells accumulate free radical damage over time. Since this theory was developed, free radical damage within cells has been linked to many disorders.However antioxidants have been shown to prevent damage to cells caused by harmful free radicals.

Source

Serving Size

ORAC

Cinnamon Powder

1 tsp.

6,956

Pomegranate Juice

8 oz.

5,853

Blueberries

1/2 cup

4,848

Scientifically speaking, there is only one true cinnamon, which is most commonly called "Ceylon cinnamon," and comes from the plant Cinnamomum Zeylanicum. An alternative scientific name for Ceylon Cinnamon is Cinnamomum verum, which simply translates as "true cinnamon."

Several studies have shown improved insulin sensitivity and blood glucose control by taking as little as half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day. Improving insulin resistance can help in weight control as well as decreasing the risk for heart disease, so this has a lot of people interested. Although the results of preliminary studies are somewhat mixed, the majority of the research seems to be pointing in the direction of cinnamon being beneficial. Along with the improvement in blood sugar, these studies have documented improvements in triglycerides, blood pressure, and LDL cholesterol.